Airbnb Stops All Beijing Bookings as Coronavirus Fears Grow
Airbnb has paused taking bookings in Beijing for the rest of this month because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The San Francisco-based home-rental company has suspended bookings in China’s capital with check-in dates from Feb. 7 to Feb. 29 in light of local authorities’ guidance “during this public health emergency,” it said in a statement Monday.
“Airbnb appreciates that disease control efforts are causing overall travel disruptions that also affect our community of guests and hosts,” the company said.
Airbnb said it will give refunds to customers who had canceled their reservations and allow affected hosts and guests to cancel bookings without charges under a policy for extenuating circumstances. The company will continue to evaluate the situation and follow official guidance amid the outbreak, it said.
Chinese home-rental platform Xiaozhu will also cease in Beijing for this month and give refunds for existing bookings, Bloomberg News reported.
Airbnb is just the latest tech firm to feel pain from the coronavirus, which had killed more than 900 people and sickened more than 40,000 as of Sunday.
The outbreak has led Apple to temporarily shutter its stores in mainland China, Google to temporarily close its offices there and Facebook to halt all non-essential travel to the country. And companies including Sony, Amazon, LG and Ericsson have canceled appearances at the Mobile World Congress because of coronavirus concerns, according to The Verge.